Name Christopher Reed | ||
Books The Depression Comes to, All the World is Here!: Th, Black Chicago's First Cent, The Chicago NAACP a, Knock at the Door of Opportuni | ||
Christopher Robert Reed (born January 11, 1942) is an American historian known for his expertise on the African American experience in twentieth century Chicago, Illinois. Reed was assistant professor of Black Studies at the University of Illinois from 1982-1987, and professor of History at Roosevelt University from 1987-2006 as an associate and then full professor. He has published a number of books in his fields.
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Personal life
Reed was born to Robert and Josephine Reed in Chicago, Illinois on January 11, 1942. He grew up in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood, where he attended John Marshall Elementary School and graduated from John Marshall High School in 1959. He earned his BA from Roosevelt University in 1963 and his MA from the same institution in 1968. He received his PhD from Kent State University in 1982, with a thesis "A study of Black politics and protest in depression-decade Chicago: 1930-1939"
Notably, Reed’s great grandfather served in the 116th Infantry of the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War and participated in the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House in 1865, which marked the end of the war.
Academic career
Reed served as Professor of Black Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1982 to 1987. He then accepted a position at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he taught courses on North American slavery and African American history in Chicago.
Over the course of his career, Reed published a number of books on African American history. Reed received the St. Clair Drake Award for Outstanding Scholarship in 2001, and retired as the Seymore N. Logan Professor of History and North American Studies and Director of the St. Claire Drake Center for African and African American Studies at Roosevelt University.